Various electronic devices, such as consumer electronic devices, employ touch screen inputs, typically in the form of capacitive touch screen sensors. Additionally, automotive vehicles are being equipped with proximity sensors, such as capacitive sensors, which may be used as switches to control various devices and perform various functions onboard the vehicle. Capacitive switches typically employ one or more proximity sensors to generate a sense activation field and sense changes to the activation field indicative of user activation of the sensor, which is typically caused by a user's finger in close proximity or contact with the sensor. Proximity sensors are typically configured to detect user activation of the sensor based on comparison of the sense activation field to a threshold.
Generally, capacitive sensors sense a touch of the bare hand of a user, such as the fleshy fingertip, due to conductivity of the flesh, which perturbs the activation field. Problems often arise when a user wears protective gloves that cover the hands, such as for work or during cold weather conditions. Many devices employing capacitive sensing technology are generally inoperable for users wearing gloves because the material of the glove typically acts as an electrical insulator that isolates the finger and prevents the detection of the conductivity of the fingertips of the hand. This can become a problem, especially for automotive applications in which users often enter a vehicle during cold conditions and employ the vehicle in a work environment where gloves are advantageously worn by a user. It has been proposed to manufacture conductive material in gloves, however, conventional proposals typically require fabrication of the glove to include the conductive material. It is desirable to provide for a glove and methodology of employing a glove that allows for easy use of capacitive sensors by a user without requiring extensive modification of the glove.